Royal Mail has decided to equip its 70 major mail-processing plants with £8 million pounds worth of anti-terrorist detection equipment.

However, it was not so much concern for the safety of it's employees that focused it's mind, but the CWU pressure placed upon it, and reminders that doing so would also help protect the public and its customers.

The equipment is being deployed to detect any contaminated packages and letters which may be carrying threats to postal workers and the public.

The funding will allow the purchase of hand held detection and identification equipment technology for each mail centre plus analysis equipment to set up Royal Mail's own network of bio-detection testing laboratories, organised geographically to be within a one hour distance of each mail centre.

In the USA, a terror campaign resulted in the deaths of five people who inhaled anthrax spores from letters. A further 13 were infected but survived. 

Some 10,000 people across the eastern United States were given antibiotics in the aftermath of the anthrax exposure.

Dave Joyce, CWU's National Health and Safety Officer said,  "At last our objectives have been achieved and in safety and security terms this is a great step forward, improving the protection of CWU members working in Royal Mail as well as members of the public. All will benefit from having the detection and analysis technology available to minimise the risk of a successful terrorist attack using the mail network as a weapons delivery system for chemical, biological or radiological materials."

Source: CWU News Release